/buildings_card-fourth.webp){kind=icon}
.jpg){kind=icon}
/menu_Company_Open-positions_card-fourth.webp){kind=icon}
/menu_Pricing_Quote_card-fourth.webp){kind=icon}
Research Report
2025 Carbon Experts Report
What’s holding back decarbonization in construction and manufacturing? Read the 2025 Carbon Experts Report to learn how professionals across the value chain can work to reduce carbon.
A note from One Click LCA's CEO & Founder
The 2025 Carbon Experts Report highlights both progress and challenges in reducing carbon across the construction value chain. Over 60% of AEC professionals report at least a 10% reduction in embodied carbon, and 83% say EPDs influence material choices. However, 89% cite the lack of manufacturer EPDs as a major barrier, while manufacturers struggle with the complexity and cost of EPD creation. Regional policy gaps add further challenges, yet automation and better data access are emerging as key solutions. This report offers a clear path forward and highlights the need for cross-sector collaboration between AEC professionals and manufacturers.
About the 2025 report
The 2025 Carbon Experts Report analyzes insights from approximately 150 qualified experts across two global surveys conducted by One Click LCA. One survey gathered responses from AEC professionals on building LCAs, while the other focused on construction product manufacturers' use and production of EPDs, as well as their challenges. According to the report, the industry has made significant progress toward decarbonization, yet there remains a growing demand for stronger national regulations and greater market education.
Executive insights
Barriers to LCA and EPD progress in construction
A lack of regulatory support and fragmented LCA and EPD data remain major obstacles to advancing life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) in construction. 85% of AEC professionals in 2024 cited the absence of national regulations as the biggest demand-side obstacle — showing little improvement from 2023. Similarly, the lack of awareness in the market surged to 90% in 2024, highlighting an urgent need foe increased education and visibility around LCA practices.
Key challenges for manufacturing
Top barriers to LCA and EPD adoption in product development:
- Over 80% of manufacturers identify the high cost and complexity of EPD creation and verification as the biggest barriers.
- Many manufacturers struggle with the financial burden and technical requirements of producing EPDs, including verification and staff shortages, which limit the number of verified declarations available for material selection.
Key challenges for AEC
Top barriers to construction LCA adoption:
- 89% of AEC respondents say that the lack of manufacturer EPDs is a major supply-side limitation to the progress of construction LCAs.
- 85% of AEC respondents cite the lack of national regulations as the biggest demand-side barrier to LCA adoption.
Download the full report to discover the top barriers to LCA progress by region.
Carbon reduction potential
Carbon reduction potential in manufacturing
The report demonstrates measurable progress in reducing embodied carbon through building LCAs, as well as product LCAs and EPDs, alongside growing confidence among professionals.
Key insights from product development:
- 86% of manufacturers anticipate carbon reductions of up to 30% by applying insights from LCA in their product development processes.
- Within this group of manufacturing experts, 50% expect reductions of up to 10%, while 36% are targeting reductions between 11%–30%.
Download the full report for more insights.
Carbon reduction potential in AEC
The results, based on surveyed AEC professionals, highlight the significant potential of life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to reduce embodied carbon in construction.
Key insights from construction LCAs:
- 31% of AEC respondents report achieving embodied carbon reductions of up to 20% through construction LCAs.
- Over 60% estimate reductions of at least 10% in embodied carbon.
Get the full report for insights into carbon reduction potential across AEC disciplines.
the role of epds in AEC decisions
How EPDs impact material selection in AEC
EPDs are becoming a key factor in material selection and procurement, influencing both AEC professionals and manufacturers. Their growing importance is shaping market demand and competitive positioning across regions.
Key insights:
- 83% of AEC respondents report that EPDs influence material selection in building projects.
- 38% consider EPDs very important, while 19% regard them as critical to their decision-making process.
- Only 17% of respondents do not consider EPDs important, indicating that the vast majority recognize their value in material decisions.
How manufacturers view the role of EPDs
Manufacturers acknowledge the growing influence of EPDs on AEC material decisions. 89% agree that EPDs affect purchasing decisions, with 39% identifying them as either ‘very important’ or ‘critical’ to securing business.
Key insights:
- 89% of manufacturers surveyed recognize that EPDs play a significant role in AEC purchasing decisions.
- Only 11% of manufacturers do not consider EPDs business-critical, indicating that most manufacturers create EPDs to remain competitive in the market.
EPD demand to grow ‘significantly’
Both AEC and manufacturing respondents from all surveyed regions anticipate growing demand for EPDs over the next three years. Notably, 100% of respondents in every region expect EPD demand to either increase significantly or slightly.
Key insights:
- 80% of respondents from the United Kingdom and Ireland expect a significant increase in EPD demand within the next three years.
- 75% of North American respondents predict that demand will increase significantly within the next three years.
- 65% of respondents from the Rest of the World expect a significant increase in EPD demand, with an additional 30% anticipating a slight increase.
Download the 2025 report
Get the full report for more insights & data
What you'll find in the full 2025 Carbon Experts Report:
- Detailed regional breakdowns of carbon reduction potential across AEC disciplines and manufacturing sectors.
- Future construction trends, including how automation and digital tools are transforming LCA processes and reducing time and costs.
- Insights into material data gaps in areas like concrete, MEP systems, and steel.
- Regulatory landscape and policy recommendations to support decarbonization at national and regional levels.
- 31 detailed graphs — backed by data from nearly 150 industry experts.
Learnings & opportunities
Insights and opportunities for manufacturers
- EPDs for market growth: With 83% of AEC professionals factoring EPDs into material selection, manufacturers must treat EPDs as strategic assets. Ensuring accessibility, quality, and comparability of EPDs will not only improve procurement success but also enhance competitive positioning. Leveraging automation can scale up EPD creation and reduce costs, making compliance and market entry smoother.
- Adapting to regulations: New regulations such as the EU’s CPR and CBAM are setting higher standards for environmental transparency. Manufacturers who act now — by generating verified EPDs and improving data transparency — can gain early-mover advantages, ensuring compliance while positioning themselves as sustainability leaders.
- Driving industry-wide collaboration: Data fragmentation remains a key barrier, slowing LCA adoption and limiting EPD effectiveness. Collaboration with AEC professionals and suppliers to close data gaps and improve LCA reliability will help overcome this challenge.
Insights and opportunities for AEC professionals
- Maximizing LCA for carbon reduction: Over 60% of AEC respondents report at least a 10% embodied carbon reduction using LCA, with a third achieving up to 20%. Implementing LCAs across all project phases and pushing for lower-carbon materials consistently can unlock even greater reductions.
- EPDs as a core procurement tool: With 83% of AEC professionals considering EPDs critical, prioritizing materials with verified EPDs will drive market shifts toward transparency. Establishing clearer benchmarks and demanding standardized EPDs from suppliers will strengthen material selection frameworks.
- Strengthening manufacturer collaboration: Major data gaps remain in materials like concrete and MEP systems. Working directly with manufacturers to improve data availability and streamline information-sharing will advance reliable environmental assessments and accelerate decarbonization goals.
